KCW Summer 2013 – Day 3 and Day 4 (and an Oliver + S Flip tunic version)

Posting and blogging (and following other’s people creations) during the KCW is always the most difficult part of the challenge for me (that and trying to get pictures to combine sunlight and a willing model, lol).

Time simply isn’t enough. And trust me, I’ve been eyeing some lovely creations (on blogs and Flickr) and lots of posts I just wish I could drop them a line. Soon …

If you were here yesterday, you may already have guessed my entry for KCW Day 3: a pink Gingham Oliver+S 2+2 Skirt.

It was so simple to sew and it remind me on how cute these skirts look on my girl (and you may have also guessed it: I got extra points for the twirly factor).

For KCW Day 4, I decided to make another version of the Oliver + S Roller Skate dress/tunic for this month Flip This Pattern Series at FrancesSuzanne.

To be honest, I wasn’t sure if I had enough time for redrafting, cutting, sewing plus taking pictures of the final piece (and convince my girl to join me).

I got home at 5 pm and by 8 pm, the flipped Roller Skate tunic was ready to be blogged about (don’t you love when you kids know you’re busy sewing/working and take the opportunity to play Lego non-stop. Love them) 🙂

If you follow my blog (or my Flickr photostream) you may already noticed that I have a serious weakness for blouses with ruffle necks. And flutter sleeves. And Liberty fabrics.

So, let me introduce you …

I redrafted the Roller Skate tunic pattern with the following adjustments: remove the cap sleeves (which I also love), made a rounder neckline and removed the waistband elastic. Then I added the flutter sleeves (I may include here a pattern for the flutter sleeves sometime next week, if someone is interested), the neck ruffle (I doubled the size of the neck opening) and the neck bias.

I wanted the tunic to be a bit loose on her (perfect for summer) yet I wanted to add some interest. Therefore, I added a small elastic casing to each side of the tunic, just bellow the armholes (2 inches bellow, following the armhole line). It’s simple detail, but very sweet and it really makes a difference as it gives the blouse a nice drape preventing it from looking “too boxy”.

The back of the tunic was adjusted to accommodate the ruffle (the buttonhole opening is still there and I’ve sewn a cute yellow button, just for fun):

I just love the versatility of Oliver+S patterns. This one makes a lovely basic blouse (and as you know, every little girl needs a couple of these).

The tunic is still a bit large of her because I decided to go one size up (I sew her a size 6 instead of her usual Oliver and S size 6).

Somehow, she’s been growing out of most of what I sew her lately (the Puppet shorts in the pictures, were just perfect in May and now they are already too short). I reckon this blouse will fit her until the end of the summer (although I’m not quite sure, to be honest).

I do love the result and I plan to sew her a couple more of these shirts for summer – I do love blouses on little girls and a loose style like this is perfect as it allows her to play without constraining her movements.

Ops, I almost forgot: For this blouse, I used a print from the Liberty Lifestyle collection (Herbert). As usual, with Liberty prints, the colors are amazing and the cotton is so soft.

Usually I buy her basic ruffled shirts in a local shop, but the prices have increased quite a lot during the last year and I was looking for a nice alternative.

Guess what, I think I may have find it 🙂

I’m already thinking of the next versions: a crispy white cotton one and a blue chambray version. Lovely, right?